Pope Francis’s statement about NATO expansion provoking Russia to invade Ukraine raises the question about whether it is legitimate to support NATO generally and its expansion after 1989 in particular. This article argues that the right of nations to self-determination and legitimate defense and the ethic of solidarity as understood in the Catholic social tradition can justify NATO’s existence and enlargement. The author concludes that not only was NATO enlargement after 1989 justified, but it should also be open to Ukraine and other countries in the region in accordance with these tenets of Catholic social teaching.

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1989年后的北约扩张：来自天主教社会传统的论证

教皇弗朗西斯关于北约扩张激怒俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的声明提出了一个问题：总体上支持北约，特别是1989年后的北约扩张是否合法。本文认为，天主教社会传统所理解的民族自决权和合法防御权以及团结道德可以证明北约的存在和扩大是合理的。作者的结论是，1989 年之后的北约东扩不仅是合理的，而且根据天主教社会教义的这些原则，它也应该向乌克兰和该地区其他国家开放。